𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐎𝐑𝐀'𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐗! heroes of olympus²

x. peace and fear

chapter ten!
010. peace and fear

savreen

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    SAVREEN DIDN'T remember much about her childhood. She didn't remember much of her father, but she had a few memories of her grandparents, her Dadi and Dada that she treasured. She lost them, too, when she was young. She didn't remember all of the stories they told her, and she was sure that they didn't tell her all of them. But she remembered some stories they'd tell her about ghosts. She wasn't sure why. Some of them frightened her when she was a child. Perhaps it was some way to try and make sure she didn't stay up past her bedtime. But she remembered briefly how her Dadi mentioned ghosts were malevolent because they had suffered terrible deaths▬Bhuts, she called them. They haunted trees, abandoned buildings, crossroads, and deserts ... As Savreen got older, and she grew up without any more stories, she stopped fearing ghosts. Ghosts weren't real. But now that she has learnt so much about the world, and so much about the world hidden behind the Mist, Savreen started to open her mind. Now, she was fearful of ghosts once again; fearful of anyone who may have died a violent death, because then they will return to be violent once again. 

    And now, here she was, sitting in a room where ghosts had possessed her friends. She remembered how Leo had said he was both there, and also not, when he had fired on New Rome. Savreen grew a little angry at whatever these things were for making Leo do something he would have never done if he had been in control. 

    She glanced at Piper, who at the sudden silence around the table, looked less confident. Her friend met her gaze, and she was searching for reassurance and help. Savreen nodded. 

    Piper managed a little smile, finding the confidence and courage to explain to the others her gut feeling▬the chill down her spine. Savreen knew, because she was feeling it, too. 

    In the end, after a moment of silence after Piper finished, Hazel took a deep breath and sat up straighter in her chair. "Piper is right."

    Annabeth tilted her head, tense. "How can you be sure?"

    "I've met eidolons," murmured the daughter of Pluto. She hesitated. A few rubies had suddenly appeared on her plate. "In the Underworld, when I was ... you know."

    "So..." Frank watched Hazel for a moment, like he wanted to say or do something to comfort her, but was afraid of doing the wrong thing. Instead, he ran a hand over his short, buzz-cut hair, anxious. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or▬?"

    "Possibly lurking inside some of us," said Piper. "We don't know."

    Jason stared at the table. He then clenched his jaw, and his hand curled into a tight fist. "If that's true▬"

    "We have to take steps," the daughter of Aphrodite quickly said, her confidence growing. She glanced at Savreen once again. "Sav and I can do this, together."

    Percy watched their glances, frowning. "Uh ... Do what?"

    "Just listen, okay?" Piper told him. "Everybody listen. Sav▬"

    At her prompt, Savreen took a deep breath and shuffled to the edge of her chair. She closed her eyes, and even though she felt tense under everyone's expectant and confused stairs, she did her best to focus. When Jason and Leo were under the manipulation and charm of Medea, it was the effort of her and Piper working and using their powers together to snap them out of it. Piper's charmspeak and the amplifying effect Savreen's necklace had on her harmonic influence had proven to be quite powerful on their own, but when used to compliment the other, not even the ghost minions of Gaea would be able to ignore them.